With Christmas parties in full swing there is no doubt the alcohol will be flowing. Here, Change4Life offers advice on how to enjoy the festive season without excessive drinking

MOST of our social events leading up to Christmas involve alcohol.

We are in the thick of celebrations at present with work do’s and catching up with friends, and the tendency is to ditch the “daily limit” and go for broke – egged on by our peers, which can potentially lead to a moment you might regret.

In truth, most of us are soon left a few pounds lighter in the pocket and wondering just why we did it. But avoiding the health hazards of excessive festive boozing doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a party pooper.

The Change4Life Wales campaign suggests a few tips on cutting down whilst still having a good time and going with the celebratory flow of things.

While spontaneity is an important part of the party atmosphere; a bit of forward planning is always helpful if you’re keen to keep your alcohol consumption in check. The Change4Life campaign makes the following suggestions:

Make a plan and set yourself a limit on how much you’re going to drink before you start;

don’t stock up on alcohol at home. If it’s there, then you’re likely to drink it before going out;

think about a budget too and only take out a set amount of money to spend on alcohol;

start later. By turning up just a little later you can drink less. But don’t drink at home before you go out. Have a great night out but remember, take your time and don’t feel pressured to keep up with others. If someone’s getting a round in, don’t feel that you have to have a drink – or have a smaller sized glass or a half pint.

don’t drink on an empty stomach – having it with food means that the alcohol is absorbed into your system more slowly;

beware of the free bar – you may be paying the price later;

stay hydrated by having a soft drink between rounds, drinking a pint of water at the start of the evening and at the end before going to bed. Remember that alcohol dehydrates so avoid using alcohol to quench your thirst.

have a day off. Try having a couple of consecutive days in the week when you don’t drink alcohol and stick to low-calorie soft drinks instead;

enjoy yourself. Do something else while you’re out, like dancing or karaoke – it’s much more fun.

One of the most important things to remember is that there are recommended daily lower risk guidelines and storing them up to drink them all in one go doesn’t really work from a health point of view. Women shouldn’t drink more than 2-3 units of alcohol a day and men shouldn’t drink more than 3-4 units a day.

In a recent survey carried out by the Change4Life Wales campaign it was apparent that many of us are aware of the daily lower risk guidelines but that we tend to under-estimate how many units there are in individual drinks.

The study showed that a 56% under-estimated the number of units in a standard 175 ml glass of wine, while 74% under-estimated the alcohol content of a large 250ml glass of wine.

In addition, 76% underestimated the units in a pint of strong beer and 52% understated the units in a can of ordinary strength beer.

The survey also found that 74% of people questioned believed their own drinking was below the government guidelines, prompting calls for people to think about their drinking habits.

The Change4Life Wales survey was carried out as part of the campaign entitled “Don’t let drink sneak up on you”, which targets people who may be unaware that they are risking their health by drinking more than the government guidelines on a regular basis.

The campaign is designed to raise awareness of the risks of regular drinking at levels many people may regard as harmless, but over time can actually cause up to 60 different health conditions. These include mouth, throat and larynx cancer, strokes, high blood pressure, liver damage, heart disease and reduced fertility.

Meanwhile, alcohol-related illness is costing the NHS in Wales millions each year.

The cost of excess alcohol consumption to the NHS in Wales was between £69.9m and £73.3m in 2008-09.

There are well-researched health risks to alcohol and regularly drinking over the lower risk guidelines increases the chances that it can affect your long term health. Drinking less now can make a difference to your health later on is a strong Change4Life campaign message.

To check what these units equate to in typical drinks you can use the online drinks checker at www.change4lifewales.org.uk

Here you will also find further information and useful advice on how to easily cut down on alcohol.